Electric metering and control device



F. w. TRUESDELL ELECTRIC METERING AND CONTROL DEVICE Filed March 17,1954 April s, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor: Francis- W TT LLe5dell HisAttorney April 8, 1958 F. w. TRUESDELL ELECTRIC METERING AND CONTROLDEVICE Filed'March 17, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 His Attorney r r 2,830,269Patented Ap 1958 ELECTRIC METERING AND CONTROL DEVICE Francis W.Truesdell, Lynn, Mass., assignor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Application March 17, 1954, Serial No. 416,806

7 Claims. (Cl. 324-116) This invention relates generally to combinationelectric metering and control devices and in particular to improvementsin a combination watthour meter and time control switch.

As the use of domestic electric hot water heaters increases within anyselected area serviced by a power company, it is many times founddesirable to establish some form of so-called off-peak control, and inone form thereof an important component of such control is thecombination watthour meter and time switch of the type wherein a doubleregister is provided to indicate on separate sets of dials the powerconsumed in the metered circuit during off-peak control periods and allother periods. One form of such combination device is shown in U. S.Patent No. 2,285,882, issued June 9, 1942, to H. H. Anderson et al., andit is seen that such devices normally embody some form of mechanism forshifting from one set of dials to the other, such shifting usuallyoccurring concurrently with a switching action.

It is one of the objects of this invention to facilitate and simplifythe aforesaid shifting action.

It is another object of the invention to provide a more compact,dependable, and simplified combination watthour meter and time controlswitch, one that is easier to maintain and service, and one that permitsready part replacement as required.

Briefly, the invention contemplates the rearrangement and reduction ofparts whereby the energy stored in the control switch members isutilized to shift the meter driving element from one set of dials to theother while at the same time providing all necessary contact forces.Thus, with switch members in the form of flexible blades, the need forauxiliary levers and springs is eliminated, which of course materiallysimplifies the structure required.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent upon reference of thedetailed description set forth below, particularly when taken inconjunction with the drawings annexed hereto, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved watthour meter and timecontrol switch with a portion of the glass cover removed;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the switch shown in Figure1, together with a portion of the shifting mechanism;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the switch latchingmechanism, the parts being shown in their position corresponding toclosure of the switch contacts;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the parts shown in Figure3, the parts being shown in their position at the moment when the switchcontacts just open;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the parts shown in Figure3, the parts being shown in their position at the moment just prior toclosure of the switch contacts;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the time dial, showing theon and 0115 cam parts attached thereto; and

Figure 7 is a exploded, partly schematic, perspective view of the meterdrive mechanism, the two sets of registering dials, and part of theshifting mechanism.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a perspective view of awatthour meter and time switch suitably mounted on a molded plastic basemember 8 and enclosed by a suitable glass cover 9, a portion only ofwhich is shown. The wattmeter section includes a main type 11, which maybe rigidly aflixed to the base member 8 by rivets or the like, and aninduction disc 12, suitably journalled for rotation in the frame androtating in response to the flow of electric energy in the externalelectric circuit to which the meter is connected for meastiring andcontrolling purposes;

The frame 11 is substantially identical to that shown in U. S. PatentNo. 2,658,805, issued November 10, 1953,, to L. I. Mendelsohn, and has aflat bottom section andhas its sides extending upwardly and inwardly toform. the somewhat circular top section. The wattmeter current andvoltage windings and associated magnetic structure are carried by theframe 11 between the back surface of the frame and the'base 8. The frameis slotted to receive the disc 12 and the journalling arrangements for;

the disc shaft are carried on the front side of the frame at the top andbottom thereof.

A detailed description of the wattmeter mechanism, including the framelland disc 12, is not necessary for an understanding of the subjectinvention and an extended description of this portion of the combinationdevice will be omitted for the sake of clarity, such details being knownand understood by those skilled in the art. Suifice to say that themeter illustrated is designated commercially by applicants assignees asthe type I5O single-phase watthour meter and in addition to the showingin Patent 2,658,805, may include some or all of the features shown inthe following United States patents: Patent No. 2,272,748, issuedFebruary 10, 1942, to Kinnard; Patent No. 2,311,382, issued February 16,1943, to Hansen, In; Patent No. 2,316,368, issued April 13, 1943, toTrekell; Patent No. 2,595,244, issued May 6, 1952, to Goss et al.; andPatent No. 2,668,275, issued February 2, 1954, to Goss et al.

Part of the shaft on which the disc 12 is mounted may be threaded toform a worm 13 (shown in Figure 7) and by providing a suitable geartrain, including a transfer mechanism, the worm can be caused toselectively drive either of the pair of registration mechanisms 1415mounted on the supports 16, 17, the supports in turn'.

being rigidly affixed to frame 11 by screws or the like. Each mechanismincludes a set of dials and cooperating pointers so that the powerconsumed in the metered cuit will be registered thereby.

Located in front of the main frame 11 and underneath the disc 12 is thetime switch assembly, which includesan L-shaped support bracket 18,which is conveniently affixed to the meter frame 11 by means of aplurality of screws 19 or the like. Carried by the upright section 25 ofsupport bracket 18 is a clock mechanism 21 and a clock-driven wheel 22;and mounted on the underside tion a suitable gear reduction mechanism bywhich the clock" 21 may be coupled to the shaft on which the wheel 22 ismounted. In this manner the wheel 22 can be driven continuously througha complete twenty-four hour cycle.

.The clock mechanism and associated gear train form no part of thesubject invention, and further description thereof has been omitted forthe sake of clarity as such arrangements are quite conventional andknown and understood by those skilled'in the art, Sutfice to say thatthe clock wheel 22 is driven by the'clock and may have arranged aroundits periphery a plurality or switch actuating members, the exactconfiguration and purpose thereof being set forth in greater detailhereinafter. It is to be noted, however, that the clock mechanism andassociated parts are sufiiciently compact to lie substantially whollybeneath the disc 12. v

The switch mechanism is best shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, and itwill be seen upon referring to these figures that the switch mechanismcomprises a set of contacts 27, 28 carried respectively by a pair ofspring members in the form of upper and lower flexible blades 29, 31having their fixed ends rigidly attached to terminal board 23.' Theterminal board 23 may be a molded plastic insulating member, suitablyribbed and channeled, as shown, to facilitate mounting of the switchblades and to add strength and rigidity thereto. It is secured to theflat bottom section of frame 11. V

The ends of blades 29, 31 may be affixed to the terminal board 23 bymeans of rivets or other suitable .techniques known to those skilled inthe art and such mounting means includes a pair of terminal posts 32, 33respectively carried by and mounted on opposite sides of the terminalboard 23 for connection of external leads to the switch. In the formillustrated the posts comprise identical cylindrical members having atransverse aper-,

ture 34 in which the end of a lead may be inserted and held in place bya suitable set screw 35.

Mounted alongside of the contact carrying blades 29, 31 are the dummyblades 36, 37, which in turn have their fixed ends rigidly attached tothe terminal board 23 by means of rivets or the like.

overlying the upper surfaces of the outer extremities of the blades 29,36 is an H-shaped insulating member 38 secured to the blades in anyconvenient form such as by rivets or the like, thereby providingtherewith a substantially unitary structure consisting of the two springmembers and the insulating member. The opposite edges of the H-member 38are provided with identical reinforcing protective channel members 39secured to the insulating member in any convenient manner such as bycrimping or the like. The outer extremities of the member 38 are bridgedby the metallic plate 41 conveniently attached to the member 38 byrivets or the like and having its outer extremity turned down over theouter edges of member 38 in the form of a lip 42. The lip 42 has avertical projection 43 which serves as an index for the clock wheel 22,mounted for rotation in proximity thereto. The inner portion of theplate 41 overlies interconnecting portion of the H-member 38 and has asubstantially wedge-shaped projection 44 extending rearwardly forcooperation with a latch member, such arrangement to be described ingreater detail hereinafter.

Carried by the lower blade 31 is an insulating member 45 suitablyafiixed thereto by means of rivets or the like and having aconfiguration substantially the same as that portion of H-shaped member38 lying immediately above it. Its outer edge is also reinforced andprotected by a metallic channel member 46 suitably afiixed thereto as bycrimping or the like. The lower dummy blade 37 has no member mountedthereon corresponding to the member 45 but has its outer extremityoflset at 47 and ribbed at 48 as shown to give rigidity thereto and alsoto cooperate with blades 29 31 in providing the necessary shifting andwitchi action.

S ppor y the me e 8, 45, and 37 s an a tm a membe 4 h ving th i cl ca uac 1,

the pair of identical upper shoulders 52, and the pair of identicallower shoulders 53. The abutment and the supporting parts can move withrespect to one another, but in any position the upper shoulders alwaysoverlie portions of the H-shaped members 38 and the lower shouldersalways overlie portions of the insulating member 46 and the elongatedribbed sectio-nof dummy blade 37. The abutment member 49 is confinedbetween the interconnecting section of the H-shaped member 38 and adown-turned portion 54 of the plate 41.

Referring now to Figure 3, it is seen that support plate 24 has adownwardly projecting portion 55 which provides a supportfor a latch 56pivoted thereto at 57. It is to be noted that the aperture '58 in thelatch is elongated so that the latch can have a limited transversemotion with respect to its pivot 57. The latch 56 has the latchingprojection 59 and the inturned ear 61. In addition, the upper portion ofthe latch 56 is apertured as shown for receiving one end of a hairpinspring 62, the other end of which passes through an aperture in the H-shaped member 38 and is properly "bent with respect thereto and thus isadequately supported thereby. The arrangement of the parts is such thatthe spring biases the latch downwardly and at the same time pulls it ina clockwise direction about its pivot.

Now referring to Figure 6, there is shown a portion of the clock-drivenwheel 22 with the on tripper 63 and the off tripper 64, as seen from theinner side of the wheel, that is, the side opposite the clock face. Theon tripper has an inclined cam surface 65 arranged to co operate withthe inclined cam surface 51 of the abutment member '49; The off tripperhas the projecting pin 66 arranged to cooperate with the inturned car 61'of the latch 56.

All of the blade members are biased upwardly so that any downward motionofthe outer extremities thereof will store energy therein. Since theabutment member 49 has its. upper and lower shoulders at all timesoverlying the blade members, the biasing action of these members willforce the abutment member upwardly, when not restained'by latch 56,untilthe upper surfaces of shoulders 52 rest against the identical stops67 projecting outwardly from the support plate 24.

Now referring to Figures 1, 2, and 7, there is shown a shifting lever 68having one of its extremities confined between the under side of the ear61 and the end portion of the spring 62 extending through the aperturein the latch member 56. A shaft 69 is suitably journalled between -.theauxiliary plate 24 and a second auxiliary plate 71, which is rigidlyattached to the first auxiliary plate by means .of suitable screws andspacer members. The lever 68 is affixed to the shaft 69 so that limitedpivotal action of the lever is provided. A stop 72 limits motion of thelever 68 in a counterclockwise direction.

Afi 'ixed to the outer end of lever 68 there is one end of a rigid wiremember 73 extending upwardly and con nected to a bell crank 74 by havingits other end in the form of a hook extending through aperture 79 in thebifurcated portion of the crank. The bell crank 74 is attached to theshaft 75 which in turn is mounted for rotation between the supports 16,17. The bifurcated portionstraddles one .of the spacer membersseparating the supports 16, 17 and thereby limits rotation of thebell'c'rank inboth directions.

A coil spring 76 surrounds shaft 75 and has one end affixed to crank 74and the other end confined within a slot in member 17 whereby it biasesthe shaft 75 in a clockwise direction. In this position the other end ofthe bell crank 7.4 has a black target area 74a cooperating with theaperture 77 to indicate that the upper register 1,4]is connected to themeter-driving element. The dial pointers .of .the upper register may bepainted black to correspond to the black target showing through theaperture 77. i

In the other extreme position of the bell crank74 a red area 74b nexttothe aforesaid black 'area is in registry with the aperture 77 toindicate that the lower reg ister mechanism is connected to themeter-driving element. The pointers ofthe lower register mechanism maybe painted red to correspond to the red area on the bellcrank 74.

The shaft. 75 has its inner end journalled in plate 16 and itsother endextends through the plate 17 and is supported by a U-shaped bracket 78which lies behind the support plate 17 and is afiixed thereto and spacedtherefrom by suitable screws and spacer members, two of which are shownas the members 78a. 7

.As shown in Figure 7, there is a cradle 79 slidably mounted withrespectto bracket 78 and biased upwardly with respect thereto by means of thespring 81. The bracket 78 has apair of apertures 7 8b in which arestaked a pair of pins 78c, the pins extending through elongated cradleslots79a to thereby support the cradle and allow same to have limitedsliding motion.

The cradle 79 carries one end of a shaft 82 journalled for rotationtherein, the other end of shaft 82 being journalled for rotation in aportion of bracket 78. The latter journalling arrangement permitslimited pivotal motion of shaft 82 in response to vertical motion of thecradle 79.

The biasing action of spring 81 is transmitted to the cradle 79 by meansof a crank 83 suitably mounted for rotation on the stud 83a aflixed tobracket 78. Crank 83 has its outer end confined within the window 84provided in the cradle 79 and extends therethrough to cooperate with thecrank 75a aflixed to shaft 75 whereby the cradle 79 is moved downwardlyupon counterclockwise motion of shaft 75.

The shaft 82 has aflixed thereto the pinion 85 and gear 86, the lattercooperating with and being driven by the worm 13 and the formerselectively engaging either the upper pinion 87 or. the lower pinion 88to selectively drive either the upper or lower worm shafts 89, 91aflixed, respectively, to pinions 87, 88 and journalled between a legfofbracket 78 and the spacers 78a.

Selectively driven'by the worm shafts 89, 91 are the upper and lowerpinions 92, 93, each of which are coupled via the shaft 94, 95 to theupper and lower gear trains 96, 97 comprising the driving elements ofthe upper and lower registration mechanisms 14, 15 respectively. "Theshafts 94, 95 are journalled for rotation between the support 16 and thebracket 78, passing through suit able apertures provided in support 17and having their front ends 94a, 95a and back ends 94b, 95b extendingthrough the plate 16 and bracket .78, respectively, so that the shaftsmay be arranged for limited axial motion against the biasing action of aspring member 98 at their back ends, to permit disengagement of the geartrain and convenient re-setting of the pointers.

Afiixed to the upper and lower parts of cradle 79 are the. substantiallyL-shaped brake members 98, 99 for selectively engaging the .pinions 87,88. The parts are so arranged that when one pinion is engaged by drivingpinion 85, the other-is engaged by its juxtaposed brake. Thus, as shownin Figure 7, the cradle 79 is in its upper position by reason of theforce provided by the biasing action of spring 81. In this position,upper pinion 87 is engaged by driving pinion 85, and lower pinion 88 isengaged by lower brake99. The upper registration mechanism 14 is beingdriven by the wattmeter mechanism, and the black target area in bellcrank 74 is in registry with aperture 77 to show this drivingconnection. Such position of the parts corresponds to the position ofthe contacts28, 29 when they are open.

With the above arrangement of the parts in mind, the operation of thecombination device will now be apparent.

Referring to Figure 3, the latch 56 is shown with its latchingprojection 59 overlying the part 44 extending out from ;theinterconnecting portion of H-member 38. Inthis position, the H-member isrestrained against moving to its position wherein it drives the abutmentshoulders 52 against the stops 67. However, there is nothing restrainingthe lower blade members and the contact carrying blade 31 moves up andpositively drivesithe contact 28 against the contact 27, thereby givingan effective switch closure.

In this condition of the parts, the shifting lever 68 has been movedaway from the stop 72 whereby the wire 73 has caused the shaft 75 torotate in a counterclockwise direction against the biasing forceprovided by spring 76 until the left prong of the bifurcated portion ofcrank 74 has come to rest against its cooperating spacer member.

During counterclockwise motion of shaft 75 the cradle 79 has been moveddownwardly until-the pinion 85 engages pinion 88 and the brake 98engages pinion 87. In this position of the cradle the lower registrationmechanism will be connected to the wattmeter mechanism and permit thedials to register the load during this period. At the same time, the endof the bell crank 74 having the black and red target areas thereon willhave been moved in a counterclockwise direction to permit its red targetareas 74b to register with the aperture '77 and thus indicate that thelower set of dials is registering the load of the circuit connected tothe meter. This period of operation is referred to as the Off peakperiod.

Now assume that the dial wheel 22 has been driven by the clock 21 untilits off tripper 64 is moving by the latch 56. The pin 66 will contactear 61 and move the latch in a counterclockwise direction about itspivot 57 until the latching projection 59 clears the extension 44 ofH-member 38. At this moment, as shown in Figure 4, the restraint onupward motion of H "16i11b6l 38 is removed, thereby permitting thismember to move upwardly against the underside of abutment shoulder 52and thereby drive the abutment against the stops 67. At the same timethelower blades will move upwardly and will come to rest against theabutment shoulder 53. however, during the motion of the upper-and lowerspnng blades the upper blade 29 will move away from its lower bladequite rapidly so that the contacts are separated with a substantiallysnap action.

With the driving force removed from the latch 56, the hairpin spring 62will pull the latch downwardly and in a clockwise direction, therebypermitting the shifting lever 68 to move against its stop 72, therebypermitting the cradle 79t0 return to its upper position'in which theupper registration mechanism is connected" to the wattmeter mechanismand the black target area on the bell crank 74 is in registry with theaperture 77. This condition of the meter is the On peak condition, andthe upper registration mechanism 14 will totalize all energy consumed inthe metered circuits.

As the dial wheel 22 continues to move under the influence of clockmotor 21, the on tripper 63 will be brought into contact with theabutment 52. The co-action of the inclined cam surfaces 65 and 51 willdrive the abutment downwardly, carrying with it all of the spring blademembers. As the spring members move downwardly, considerable energy willbe stored therein, and this energy will be released upon separation ofthe aforesaid cam surfaces 65 and 51.

As seen in Figure 5, the latching section 59 of the latch 56 has movedover the projecting part 44, and when the cam surfaces separate, thespring blades will rapidly move upwardly until the H-member 38 isstopped by the latch 56. However, the latch will move slightly by virtueof the elongated aperture 58 and as it moves it will carry with it theend of the spring 62 extending therethrough. Since'this end of spring 62co-acts with the shifting lever 68 the forces developed during thismotion of the lat-ch 56 will cause the shifting lever 68 to be rotatedaway from the stop 72 so that the cradle 79 is pulled downwardly toconnect the lower registry mechanism with the driving element of thewattmeter mechan1sm.

Since the H-member 38 is stopped by the latch 56, the

7 1 lower spring members will continue coming upward until the contacts28, 29 come together to establish the external electrical circuitthrough the water heater. Wehave now again reached the off-peak peifiodoi meter operation and the sequence will repeat itself as set forthabove.

it is to be noted in Figure 1 that the clock-driven wheel 7 22 has anoutwardly extending shaft to which is aiiixed a setting knob 101. Thisknob is intended to cooperate with a manual setting arrangement of thetype shown in the U. S. Patent No. 2,602,349, issued July 8, 19 52, to.G. B. Manning, whereby the setting can be done without removal of thewatthour meter cover.

It is seen that the transfer mechanism for selectively connecting eitherof the registration mechanisms to the driving element of the wattmetermechanism is biased for connection of the upper registration mechanism.This biasing is overcome by the action of lever 68, and the forces formoving lever 68 to overcome the bias are furnished by the energy storedin the spring blade mem: bers during the interaction of cam surfaces 51and 65. In addition to furnishing the forces for shifting the transfermechanism, the arrangement of the parts is such that the energy storedin the spring blades provides excellent contact force during closure ofthe switch contacts.

Moreover, the arrrangement and design of the switch permits a compactassembly with the watthour meter and produces a verydependable andrugged unit. Many of the parts are easily accessible for necessaryservice or adjustment and the design is such that the complete switchmechanism together with its associated clock can be removed from thewatthour meter simply by disconnecting wire 73 from lever 63 andremoving the screws holding the L-shaped bracket 18 in place.

In connection with the compactness achieved. by the present arrangement,it is to be noted that the use of the L-shaped bracket 18 addsmaterially to this feature. Thus, the clock mechanism, clock wheel, andassociated parts are mounted on the upright section 20 and lie beneaththe disc 12. The terminal board 23 is mounted on the underside of theother leg of bracket 18 and projects back underneath the flat sectionbottom of meter frame 11 and with the spring blades mounted thereon,substantially fills the otherwise unoccupied space in this portion ofthe meter.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. An electric metering and control device comprising, in combination, apair of registration mechanisms, a watthour meter disposed to beresponsive to the flow of elec- 1 tric power in a circuit and toselectively operate said registration mechanisms to indicate the energyconsumed in said circuits, circuit control means including clockdrivenmeans and switching means actuated by said clockdriven means, saidswitching means including a pair of cooperating spring blade members anda pair of electric contacts actuated thereby, an abutment member carriedby said spring members, said abutment member having cooperating shoulderportions normally overlying both of said spring members whereby thelatter are normally spaced apart, said abutment member being normallyurged against a fixed support by said spring members, means actuated bysaid clock-driven means to urge said abutment member away from saidfixed support to store energy in said spring members, a rotatable andslidable latch member, means to position said latch member during energybuildup in said spring members, said means moving said abutment'membersuddenly clearing same to permit the energy stored in saidspring membersto tend to drive all displaced parts to their normal position, one ofsaid spring members first causing said latch member to slide and thenbeing stopped by said latch member to vary the spacing betweensaidspring members and thereby permit closure of said contacts saidspring members furnishing the necessary force to hold said contactstogether, and means for selectively transferring the driving connectionof said watthour meter from one of said registration mechanisms to theother, said last-named means including an actuator moving in response tosliding motion of said latch member. 7 2; An electric metering andcontrol deviceincluding a watthour meter disposed to be responsive tothe flow of electric energy in an electrical circuit, saidmeterincluding a first and a second registration mechanism and rotatablymounted driving means adapted to rotate in response to said how ofenergy, means including biasing means for selectively coupling saiddriving means to said registration mechanisms to thereby indicate theelectrical energy consumed in said circuit, clock-driven means, circuitcontrol means including a pair of electrical contacts, at least one ofsaid contacts being mounted on a deflectable spring member having afirst position,fapivotal1y mounted actuator connected to said couplingmeans, a rotatable and radially slidable latchmembenmeans forpositioning said latch member at a first radial position correspondingto the first position of said spring member, said actuator'havingaportion which cooperates with said latch member to eltect changes incoupling between said driving means and said registration mechanism,said biasing means moving said actuator to a first positioncorresponding to coupling of saidfirst registration mechanism with saiddrivingmeans when said latch member is in said first radial position, anabutment member, first means actuated by said clock-driven means todrive said abutment member against said spring member whereby saidspring member is deflected to store energy therein, said first meansreleasing said abutment member whereby said spring member moves in areturn direction to drive said latch member to a second radial position,said latch member when moving to said second radial position drivingsaid actuator to change the coupling of said meter driving means fromsaid first registration mechanism to said second registration mechanism,said latch member when it reaches said second radial positionfunctioning to stop said spring member in its return motion and hold itin a second position whereby said contacts are closed, and second meansactuated by; said clock-driven means to rotate and thus release saidlatch member to thereby permit said spring member to return to its firstposition whereby said contacts are opened, said means for positioningsaid latch member functioning when said latch member is released toreturn said latch member to said first radial position.

3. An electric metering and control device including a watthour meterdisposed to be responsive to the flow of electric energy in anelectrical circuit, said meter including a first and a secondregistration mechanism and rotatably mounted driving means adapted torotate in response to said flow of energy, means including biasing meansfor selectively coupling said. driving means to said registrationmechanisms to thereby indicate the electrical energy consumed in saidcircuit, clock-driven means, circuit control means including a pair ofelectrical contacts, said contacts being mounted on first and secondspaced deflcctable spring members having a first position, a pivotallymounted actuator connected to said coupling means, a rotatable andradially slidablelatch member, means for positioning said latch memberat a first radial position corresponding to the first position of saidspring members, said actuator having a portion which cooperates withsaid latch member to eifect changes in coupling between said drivingmeans and said registration mechanism said biasing means moving saidactuator to a first position corresponding to coupling of said firstregistration mechanism with said driving means when said latch member isin said first radial position, an abutment member, first means actuatedby said clock-driven means to drive said abutment member against saidspring members whereby said spring members are deflected to store energytherein, said first means releasing said abutment member vwhereby saidspring 9 members move in a return direction, said first spring memberdriving said latch member to a second radial position, said latch memberwhen moving to said second radial position driving said actuator tochange the coupling of said meter driving means from said firstregistration mechanism to said second registration mechanism, said latchmember when it reaches said second radial position functioning to stopsaid first spring member in its return motion and hold it in a secondposition whereby said contacts are closed, and second means actuated bysaid clock-driven means to rotate and thus release said latch member tothereby permit said first spring member'to return to its first positionwhereby said contacts are opened, said means for positioning said latchmember functioning when said latch member is released to return saidlatch member to said first radial position.

4. An electric metering and control device including a watthour meterdisposed to be responsive to the flow of electric energy in anelectrical circuit, said meter including a first and a secondregistration mechanism and rotatably mounted driving means adapted torotate in response to said flow of energy, means including a biasingmeans for selectively coupling said driving means to said registrationmechanisms to thereby indicate the electrical energy consumed in saidcircuit, clock-driven means, circuit control means including a pair ofelectrical contacts, said contacts being mounted on first and secondspaced deflectable spring members having a first position, a pivotallymounted actuator connected to said coupling means,

a rotatable and radially slidable latch member, means for positioningsaid latch member at a first radial position corresponding to the firstposition of said spring members, said actuator having a portion whichcooperates with said latch member to effect changes in coupling betweensaid driving means and said registration mechanism, said bias- 0 mentmember against said spring members whereby said spring members areuniformly deflected to store energy therein, said first means releasingsaid abutment member whereby said spring members move in a returndirection, said first spring member driving said latch member to asecond radial position, said latch member when moving to said secondradial position driving said actuator to change the coupling of saidmeter driving means from said first registration mechanism to saidsecond registration mechanism, said latch member when it reaches saidsecond radial position functioning to stop said first spring member inits return motion and hold it in a second position, said second springmember being stopped by said first spring member whereby said contactsare closed with a snap action, and second means actuated by saidclockdriven means to rotate and thus release said latch member tothereby permit said first spring member to return to its first positionwhereby said contacts are opened with a snap action, said means forpositioning said latch member functioning when said latch member isreleased to return said latch member to said first radial position.

5. The combination defined by claim 4 wherein said watthour meter ismounted on a main frame and said rotatably mounted driving meansincludes an induction disc journalled for rotation in said main frame,said disc extending outwardly at right angles to said main frame,

.a substantially L-shaped auxiliary frame, all of said clockdrivenmechanisms, said contact-carrying spring members, said abutment membersaid latch member and said pivotally mounted actuator being mounted onsaid auxiliary frame, said auxiliary frame assembly being mounted onsaid main frame underneath said induction disc and in complementaryrelationship therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

